site.btaNumber of Blood Donors in Burgas Increases Further in 2024

Burgas has seen an increase in the number of blood donors in the last four years. In 2023, there were 8,400 blood donors, 152 more than in 2022, said Dr Lyudmila Zhelyazkova, head of the Transfusion and Haematology Department of the University Multiprofile Hospital for Active Treatment  in Burgas, in an interview with BTA on Tuesday. 

Between January and July 2024, the number of blood donations in Burgas is nearly 4,600, meaning that, if this trend continues, at the end of the year there will be more blood donors than in 2023. Zhelyazkova noted that more blood donations are made in the hospital compared to the Blood Centre in Stara Zagora. "No other hospital department in the country has more blood donations than the Transfusion and Haematology Department in Burgas," she said. According to her, the reason for this is the large population of Burgas Region and the services of 19 treatment facilities in Burgas, 10 of which do  intensive surgery.

Zhelyazkova noted that Burgas is a preferred place for cardiac surgery and that such operations require large amounts of blood. "Many patients from Petrich, Razgrad, Silistra and Varna seek treatment in Burgas hospitals," she added. In 2023, there were 72 regular blood donors in Burgas and first-time donors numbered 2,924. An increase in the number of this year's regular volunteers is expected as first-time donors were 1,408 by mid-July 2024.

The Transfusion and Haematology Department at Burgas Hospital is a blood collection point, as the blood is not processed there, Zhelyazkova specified. It is sent to the Blood Centre in Stara Zagora for tests and processing of blood products. "When the product is ready, it is sent back to us," she said, adding that it is much easier to take a ready-made bioproduct from a blood centre around the country than to collect blood from volunteers and send it to another centre for processing. The transportation and processing of blood takes days, while obtaining a finished product from another centre takes hours, she said.

In December 2023, Burgas City Hall approved the construction of a local Transfusion and Haematology Centre, said Zhelyazkova. This is the result of the efforts and insistence of all hospitals in Burgas Region and Burgas Municipality.

Burgas Municipality works hard to promote blood donation with numerous volunteer initiatives and free vouchers for visiting tourist sites, which has had a positive result, said Zhelyazkova. Burgas Municipality launched the initiative on July 1, and over 30 voluntary blood donations were made by July 10, with many volunteers coming in groups to donate blood and use the vouchers to go on a trip together. "This is for the good of the city, the Blood Centre, the hospital and above all the patients," Zhelyazkova concluded.